Diversity, Technology and the Predatory Transformation of Traditional Taxicab Enterprising in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of diversity and technology on the operations of the traditional taxicab sector in Zimbabwe, highlighting the costs involved, the administrative concerns and the future prospects of this vital economic sector. Leveraging on case study and phenomenology research designs, convenience and purposive sampling of the taxicab sector’s stakeholders such as taxicab operators, users, public officials, law enforcement and traffic safety agents, the study obtained data from interviews with stakeholders, document analysis, personal observations, and experience. It identified consumer appetite for diversity in intra-city shuttle service, the desire for efficient, cost-effective, user-friendly and convenient shuttle service, enhanced safety for both the users and the operators, Vision 2030 national policy drive, and the quest to move with the times as the major spurs for the taxicab market’s transformation. It also highlighted piracy, the demise of traditional taxicab’s modus operandi, declined profits for traditional taxicab operators, administrative corruption, a dire situation for techno-phobia and computer skills-deprived traditional taxicab operators as being among the major predatory effects of diversity and technology on traditional taxicab enterprising in contemporary Zimbabwe. The study recommends the enactment of legal administrative instruments for the purpose of saving and safeguarding the traditional taxicab industry from the effects of an uncontrolled diversity and technology driven transformation. It also urges the traditional industry taxicab to urgently adopt technology and to also unionise in order to safeguard its market. The study both advances the body of knowledge on this vital economic sector, and provides useful data for researchers, investors and public officials